STUDIES OF PROPAGATION IMPAIRMENTS FOR FIXED SATELLITE COMMUNICATION LINKS AT THE MICROWAVE FREQUENCIES IN NIGERIA

The study investigates the effect of propagation impairments such as rain, cloud, gases and tropospheric scintillation on fixed satellite communication link on earth-space path for frequencies between 10 and 50 GHz at Ku, Ka and V bands for 37 locations in Nigeria. Two standard elevation angles of 50, 550 as well as some elevation angles for links to recently launched Nigeria Communication Satellite, (NigComsat-1) were used in the computation of the propagation impairments for the 37 locations. Linearly and circularly polarized waves were considered. The International Telecommunication Union Radiowave Propagation models (ITURP) were used in the investigation of the propagation impairments. The study is divided into three parts; firstly, the collection and analysis of meteorological data from Tropical Rain Measurement Mission (TRMM) and Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) satellites such as rain accumulation, profiles of temperature, pressure, and relative humidity, surface temperature and pressure were validated with the available ground data in Nigeria to form statistics on monthly and annual basis. These are reprocessed to derive propagation parameters, such as; one-minute rainfall rate, water vapour density, total cloud liquid water content, and integrated water vapour content. Secondly, an appropriate ITU-RP propagation model was selected for each of the propagation impairment and was used to calculate each attenuation distribution for a percentage of time unavailability. Thirdly, the attenuation due to all impairments were combined based on the annual cumulative distribution and percentage of time unavailability between 0.01 to 10%. The calculation of the propagation parameters are based on the measured mean annual data in each location for the period of 4 to 9 years. Propagation impairments were also computed at Ku, Ka and V bands for links to NigComsat-1 at 0.01 to 10% of time unavailability in an average year. The results of all impairment were compared on regional basis by using a colour chart for all the 37 locations in Nigeria. The results of the predicted propagation impairments are as follows: rain attenuation is highly severe in Abakaliki the South-East (SE) region followed, in descending order, by Yenagoa the South-South (SS), Ibadan South-West (SW), Jos Middle-Belt (MB), Damaturu North-East (NE), and Kastina North-West (NW) regions. Cloud attenuation is highly severe in Abakaliki the SE region followed, in descending order, by Jos (MB), Gombe (NE), Dutse (NW), Ikeja (SW), and Calabar (SS) regions. Gaseous attenuation is highly severe in Calabar the (SS regions) followed, in descending order, by Ikeja (SW), Abakaliki (SE), Abuja(MB), Dutse the (NE) and Kastina (NW) regions. Tropospheric scintillation is very high in Calabar (the SS region) followed, in descending order, by Ikeja (SW), Owerri (SE), Abuja (MB), Dutse (NE) and Kastina (NW) regions. Combined impairments due to multiple sources of simultaneously occurring atmospheric attenuation is highly severe in Abakaliki the (SE region)

followed, in descending order, by Uyo (SS), Ikeja the (SW), Markudi (MB), Maiduguri (NE) and Katsina (NW) regions. For links to NigComsat-1 the combined impairments due to multiple sources of simultaneously occurring atmospheric attenuation is highly severe in Yenagoa the (SS region ) followed, in descending order, by Owerri (SE), Ibadan (SW), Jos (MB), Damaturu the (NE), and Katsina (NW) regions. Overall, Sokoto and Katsina appear as good locations to site fixed satellite earth stations (operating at Ku band and above) for deep space exploration as the results obtained showed consistently that the two locations are less affected by all propagation impairments investigated.